The calm before
by Sepelio
Summary: Russia/Serbia friendship. Serbia cares for Russia even when he is weird and communist.


_Written for the kink meme, the prompt was "Russia and Serbia are BFFL". __This takes place in the thirties. Serbia is pretty much boss of Yugoslavia, Prussia's and Germany's boss is Hitler, and Russia has the Great Terror going on at home. _

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* * *

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It pissed Serbia off when Russia pathetically trailed after England and France and tried to make them sign treaties with him. Russia didn't see the bastards snicker behind his back over how weird and creepy they thought he was. He didn't hear the disrespectful way they talked about how they wanted to stay far away from him and his latest insanity. Or he pretended not to. It was always hard to say with Russia. At least France should be nicer. They used to be friends, all three of them.

Thinking about that Serbia got himself into a fight with Austria, probably a mistake when they should have been focusing on Germany's and Prussia's blatant ignoring of their previous terms of surrender. Serbia assumed they were plotting revenge against France or something but he didn't really care, France could deal with it. As long as they stayed away from his Yugoslavia.

...

* * *

Russia was still alone after the meeting, trying to seek eye contact with anyone. Serbia remembered his boss telling him to stay far away from the Bolsheviks, but what the hell, he didn't like the guy that much in the first place.

"This sucks," he told Russia. "I'm going to pretend you're not communist and my boss hasn't forbidden me to hang out with you and yours probably said something like that too."

"My boss talks a lot," Russia said. "Sometimes I get tired of listening."

Serbia smiled and ignored how some of the other nations gave him pitying looks, as if he didn't know what he was getting into inviting Russia to his house.

...

* * *

When Russia followed him back to Yugoslavia Serbia reevaluated the idea that he knew what he was in for. He had assumed some serious drinking and reminiscing about good old times, not Russia taking a firm hold of him and going for the Cathedral. Not that Serbia minded, he always tried and failed to convince Russia his temples were just as nice if not better than his. He had a good feeling about the temple of Saint Sava though, eventually that would be amazing and Russia would have to admit it.

"My boss thinks this is all nonsense," Russia said, like he wasn't the one who had insisted going into the church in the first place. "He says we all been tricked and the priests shouldn't lie to me like this."

"You should tell him to shut the fuck up," Serbia said, tired of hearing of that boss. "This is important!"

"Hush," Russia said and gently pushed Serbia in a way that almost made him fall over. "We are in a church. You should be more respectful and not curse."

"How does lecturing me on being a good Christian fit into your new atheism thing?"

Russia hushed him again and smiled.

...

* * *

After the service Russia wandered off into the fields.

"Don't you have lots and lots of fields like this at home?" Serbia wondered, annoyed. "If you don't appreciate Ukraine and her huge... uhm.. tracts of land, I should ask her to join me instead."

"I like your home," Russia said, ignoring the complains. "I like the sunflowers. You have both them and churches. My boss doesn't think I need either now. He thinks I need other things, more industries and less churches."

"I know I said this before, but Lenin, Stalin and all those guys are completely out of their minds and they are dragging you down too."

Out of nowhere Russia put a hand on Serbia's shoulder, harshly dragging him closer.

"Don't be my enemy," he pleaded and his grip got almost painful. "I know what everyone says behind my back even when I pretend not to. I want things to be different and everyone hates me for that. You can't hate me too."

"Off!" Serbia ordered and pushed Russia away. "Don't be an idiot. We're family and I'm going to tell you when you are stupid until you stop being stupid."

"But you banned communists. You hate me too."

"Sit down," Serbia said, not happy with how Russia tried to loom over him. It might work on his neighbors but not on his family. Russia obeyed and sat down with much more grace than expected of someone his size. He carefully avoided crushing any of the sunflowers.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say," Serbia continued. "Yeah, I don't like your weird ideas and communist fanatic boss. But a lot of people think the idea of Yugoslavia is weird too. I want to have it anyway. It's not like Croatia and Slovenia and the guys can take care of themselves. I'm not going to listen to anyone who sticks their nose into things they have nothing to do with. You shouldn't either. Be creepy communist if you like and to hell with the rest of the world if they don't accept that."

"You really think things are that easy?"

"You're _Russia_," Serbia said and he couldn't explain it better. It should be the other way around, Russia comforting him when he needed it. He wanted Russia to be reliable, the older brother he wanted to be, someone to fall back on. But Russia had never quite managed to live up to that even before, had he?

Russia touched a sunflower and looked at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, avoiding to look Serbia in the eyes.

"Do you want to be my ally again? Germany has been very strange lately. Prussia has always been strange. I don't like their boss. But no one wants to be my ally even when I tell them about how dangerous they are."

Serbia shrugged. Russia growled and Serbia realized he was fiddling with one of the flowers, ripping its petals off one by one.

"I'm not sure my boss and the rest of the guys want a communist alliance. I have problems enough already."

Serbia finished slaughtering the flower, because it was his field and Russia couldn't tell him what to do with it.

"I don't need allies," Russia said, completely changing his tone from the soft whine to the more familiar and encouraging barely contained fury. "I'm the largest country on earth, I'm an alliance in myself with my republics. I don't care what anyone else thinks. The depression can't touch me and nothing else can either. The other nations are afraid of me because of that, they know their citizens would like to be one with me if they didn't lie to them about how horrible I am. Everyone will understand eventually and be one with me."

"Now you're being weird and creepy again," Serbia said and slapped Russia over the head. "You need to drink more. Or less. I'm not sure."

More was Russia's answer. Serbia gracefully accepted his cheap vodka without asking why he couldn't afford better if the depression wasn't a problem at all in Soviet. He felt proud he managed to figure out that was a bad idea before he opened his mouth. Politics were always complicated and the more Serbia tried to understand it the angrier it made him. But Russia was still Russia and the bond they had was beyond petty things like current alliances and bosses.

...

* * *

Serbia sighed when Russia started to cling on him again but didn't push him away. You had to live with some drunken grouping from your friends every now and then. Russia's smile was empty most of the time. Here and now, far away from bosses and other nations, he actually looked a little happy.

"I love you," Russia said. "It's warm here and sometimes I wish I could stay here forever and don't think about my boss and all my responsibilities and all my people who are betraying me."

"Whatever," Serbia said. That meant he liked Russia too. "Come back later again, if you want a break from all the communism. The sunflowers are even nicer later in the summer."

"I will," Russia promised. "And you'll see my side eventually and join me again."

"Perhaps," Serbia generously agreed. "But I'm not going to be your minion."

"When we are communists we will all be equal," Russia said with such innocence that Serbia started to laugh.

"Sometimes I don't get why you should be considered the older brother..." he said as he managed to recover.

Russia gave him a nervous smile, a real one now, and even if Russia might be crazier than ever Serbia found that he didn't care. They were family after all.


End file.
